Mending Fences, Building Bridges
by Smiler
Summary: Tag scene for Broca Divide


Title: Mending Fences, Building Bridges  
  
Author: Smiler  
  
Email: smiler@stargate-sg1.hu  
  
Status: Completed June 6, 2003  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Category: Angst  
  
Pairing: Jack/Janet  
  
Summary: Tag scene for Broca Divide  
  
Warnings: none  
  
Author's notes: Blame it on Mesh, she promised a Jack/Janet site for this;) Many - many thanks to Tricia, Dee, Steph and Kasi for their great help. Without you girls it would be just an unfinished something. Now, this is a finished something.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Sci Fi and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles, and back story are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea, and the story itself are the sole property of the author.  
  
*** Mending Fences, Building Bridges By Smiler  
  
Janet turned another corner in her desperate search for Jack. She had to find him. But so far, he wasn't anywhere to be found. His office was empty, not even locked. He wasn't in the commissary. She hadn't been able to find him in Sam's lab or Daniel's office. He hadn't been in the briefing room, and she knew - had checked with the SFs - that he hadn't left the mountain. Her last idea was the gym.  
  
They simply just couldn't leave things as they were. What had happened yesterday was more than anything else they had ever experienced before. Of course, in some ways it was much less. But that was purely physical. Yesterday, in the holding cell it had felt like something more. Jack had been so much closer to her than the last time they had seen each other almost ten years ago. Janet had thought he probably didn't even remember her name. Maybe her face, but definitely not her name. He was not the type of guy who would want to talk about his problems, just like he'd refused to do that night ten years ago. But now... it was different. Now, they were different, and they had to talk. They needed to talk.  
  
Janet entered the gym, and it didn't take her more than a second to see that she had been right. Jack was here. All alone. He was angrily hitting a punching bag over and over again and again.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill," she said, a little more quietly than she had planned to.  
  
"Hi, Doc."Jack answered.  
  
Janet said nothing, sitting down on the closest bench, right behind him, watching him carefully.  
  
"What?" he asked, as he paused in his motions for a moment. "I guess you have a reason for coming here. You don't seem like you'd want to work out, right now." He commented while he continued hitting the bag.  
  
"Colonel, we need to talk." Janet replied a little louder this time.  
  
Jack stopped again, his face unreadable, his eyes on the floor, and slowly turned to her.  
  
"No, Doc, you're wrong. There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine."  
  
"I've never said you weren't fine Colonel." She said standing up slowly from the bench, rubbing her hands together. "But... we need to talk... about... what happened in the holding cell yesterday".  
  
Jack stared at Janet for a minute, then suddenly turned back to the punching bag.  
  
"What happened there, Doc, was only me doing my job".  
  
Janet tried not to sigh, but it was difficult-he was being difficult, as usual. "Colonel... Jack. I'm talking about your motivation. Why you did what you did. Don't tell me it was only 'The Colonel Doing His Job', 'cause it wasn't." Janet told him while he started to hit the bag again and again.  
  
"Doc... Janet. There's. Nothing. To. Talk. About," he replied while increasing the force behind his hits to the bag. He didn't even look at her.  
  
"Fine Colonel," she said turning toward the door. "You keep telling that to yourself, and at the end you might even believe it." She murmured more to herself than to him.  
  
"Oh, and, Colonel," She said, pausing at the door. "I got back a few of your test results. Please, visit my office this afternoon." With that she left.  
  
*** Three hours later Janet was sitting at her desk, staring at a piece of paper. She was thinking about yesterday, yet again. Jack had been acting strange then. Not only in the holding cell, that would have been the virus itself, but later when he got better, too. He was looking at her in a way she's never seen before. Somehow, she thought, he was looking at her like she wasn't the same doctor anymore. Not the commanding medical officer he had met a few days before when she transferred to Cheyenne, but something more. It seemed to her as if Jack simply didn't know where he knew her from until that very moment in the holding cell. It's weird that the virus, and probably the sedative, made him remember her. She saw pain in his eyes. Both physical and emotional, but definitely pain.  
  
In the week she had spent at Cheyenneso far she hadn't had the chance to read the Colonel's file. It was way too large for an evening read.  
  
But last night she had forced herself to look at it again.  
  
Reading it through, or at least the main parts, made her more understanding of him.She still didn't know what could have happened to him 10 years ago that had lead him to her arms that night. Not that she really knew what had lead her to his arms either. But it definitely helped to see that this man's soul had been hurt more than any one human being's was supposed to be.  
  
While reading the file, she realized why she saw so much pain in his eyes. Back there in the holding cell she knew it couldn't all be the virus, but there had to be something else, too.  
  
That was when the twinkle had come into his eyes. The moment when he had realized who she was and where he knew her from. She was sure it had hurt him even more. Just as it hurt her.  
  
She was still staring at the same piece of paper when she heard a knock on the door.  
  
"Come in," she answered.  
  
The door opened and Jack stood there, waiting hesitantly, not knowing what to do.  
  
"As I said, come in, Colonel," Janet said while putting the paper back into its folder. She stood up while closing the folder and looked at Jack, who closed the door behind him and stopped there.  
  
"So, what's with those tests, Doc? Don't tell me, you want to repeat any of them?" Jack asked. Janet could see surprise filtering quickly across Jack's impassive face. She knew his question had been said was a little quicker than Jack intended.  
  
"Well, actually, they are all back already and they all came back as negative, sir."  
  
"That means I'm fine?"  
  
"Perfectly."  
  
"OK. So.. see you later, Doctor," he said, his hand already on the doorknob when Janet spoke.  
  
"Jack... we have to talk."  
  
Janet saw Jack's hand leaving the knob. She was staring at him as he slowly turned back to her. She tried to look right into his eyes but he didn't let her.  
  
"Why, Jan?"  
  
That word slipping Jack's mouth made Janet shiver. No one else ever called her that way, except for her parents. Not even her ex. Only Jack used it, back then, in that motel.  
  
"Yesterday, in the holding cell, I saw something in your eyes..." She started but couldn't finish it as Jack continued for her, his voice barely audible across the distance.  
  
"That was when I realized why you looked so familiar." He paused, drawing in a rough breath. " I'm so sorry, Janet, it could have never happened. That night 10 years ago..." Jack said , this time looking deep into Janet's eyes.  
  
"Is over.I know. That's not what I want to talk about," Janet replied.  
  
"Then what?"He asked her, somewhat confused, moving a little closer to her.  
  
She couldn't stop looking for that twinkle again. And much for her surprise, it was there.  
  
"Jack... I need to know... I came here because... never mind."  
  
"Jan..." But before he could continue, Janet stopped him.  
  
"Don't, Jack. You know what I mean. I need to know if we can work together as professionals. Despite what's happened in the past," she rambled before Jack could even take a breath.  
  
"I guess..." Jack hesitated. "I don't think it would be a problem, Janet. No one knows anything, we can forget about the regs."  
  
"I don't care about the regs, Jack, not now," said Janet while stepping closer to Jack. It was her first movement since she had stood up.  
  
"What I care about is, that I'm here as your CMO. Will it mean any problem for you?" 'and for me', she added silently for herself.  
  
"Janet, I have to admit, I was really happy to see you in that holding cell. Just realizing where I knew you from gave me the strength to fight the virus. I must thank you for that. But..." he stopped.  
  
"But?"Janet asked, making one more step closer to him.  
  
"But, as much as I have great memories of the past, and even if I could use someone's comfort in my life..." he stepped closer to Janet, and gently took her hands in his. "I'm sure there won't be any problems."  
  
"You don't know how glad I am to hear it, Jack. Thanks." Janet said, and she meant it. Her whole life was in pieces, right after her divorce, she didn't need another problem. "Guess, I just overreacted to the whole thing, I'm sorry." She was still gazing deeply into his eyes.  
  
"No, Janet, you didn't. I'm glad we made it clear." She felt her hands fall lightly to her side as he released the gentle grip he had on her hands.  
  
"Thank you, " she said, stepping back a little, while he turned to the door again.  
  
"And... Janet... can we just... stay friends?" he asked, turning back half way, while opening the door.  
  
"Sure, Jack."  
  
"Thank you." - he said and left.  
  
"Nice to meet you... again," she replied while looking at the closing door.  
  
*** Outside Janet's office Sam Carter had just entered the infirmary corridor, looking for her CO.  
  
"Sir, General Hammond wants to see us in his..." she started when she saw the grin on Jack's face.  
  
"Sir?" she asked. "Something happened?"  
  
"Yes, Carter. I've found an old, lost friend." he answered, as he smiled at her. "Let's go see the General". 


End file.
